oroffencenounEtymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin offensa, from feminine of offensus, past participle of offendereDate: 14th century1.a.obsolete an act of stumbling
b.archaic a cause or occasion of sin ;stumbling block2. something that outrages the moral or physical senses
3.a. the act of attacking ;assaultb. the means or method of attacking or of attempting to score
c. the offensive team or members of a team playing offensive positions
d. scoring ability
4.a. the act of displeasing or affronting
b. the state of being insulted or morally outraged <

takes offense at the slightest criticism

>5.a. a breach of a moral or social code ;sin, misdeedb. an infraction of law; especiallymisdemeanor
• offenselessadjective Synonyms:offense, resentment, umbrage, pique, dudgeon, huff mean an emotional response to or an emotional state resulting from a slight or indignity. offense implies hurt displeasure <

offense — of·fense or of·fence /ə fens/ n 1: a violation of the law; esp: a criminal act nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy U.S. Constitution amend. V see also lesser included offense 2 … Law dictionary

Offense — Of*fense , Offence Of*fence , n. [F., fr. L. offensa. See {Offend}.] 1. The act of offending in any sense; esp., a crime or a sin, an affront or an injury. [1913 Webster] Who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Offense — or Offence (see ce/ se) may refer to: Offence (law), a violation of the penal law Offense (sports), the action of engaging an opposing team with the objective of scoring Offense (policy debate), arguments that make a definite value judgment about … Wikipedia

offense — LAW the US spelling of offence * * * offense UK US /əˈfens/ noun US ► OFFENCE(Cf. ↑offence) … Financial and business terms